Update: as of June 9, this closure has been lifted, per Eric Krause, JeffCo OS Ranger.

Photo reconfiguration: Ron Keller.

The two areas Jefferson County Open Space intends to close in Clear Creek Canyon, shown on the attached maps, encompass the active eagle nests. If the Clear Creek eagles continue to nest in the active nests, these areas will remain closed from February 1 through July 31. If the eagles choose different nesting sites in 2016, the closures will be adjusted accordingly to protect those eagles during their breeding season.

Beginning Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 8 p.m., US 6 will be closed between US 40 and SH 119 to accommodate planned work on the Peaks to Plains Trail project. The highway will reopen Saturday, March 28 at 5 p.m. This closure limits access to I-70 from Golden; access to Black Hawk and Central City from Golden will remain open.

As always, contact the Public Information Team at or p2ptrail@publicinfoteam.com for more information. You can also check out the project blog at peaks2plains.wordpress.com.

About This WorkThis six-day closure will allow crews to install an underpass for the Clear Creek County section of the trail just east of Tunnel 5. This will enable the trail to safely cross US 6 and follow the Creek and join up with the Jefferson County portion of the trail. The underpass is a critical connector for the new, 4-mile trail, and will be 8 feet wide, 10 feet tall and 126 feet long.

Crews will work in two, 12-hour shifts to complete the work on time. In order to complete this work, guardrail, asphalt and bridge slabs will be removed. Then, crews will dig into the ground and set a large, pre-constructed concrete culvert into place. Dirt and other excavated materials will then be backfilled, or replaced.

For Your SafetyThe highway will be closed to traffic for the safety of the traveling public. Motorists are encouraged to plan alternate routes to I-70 from Golden in advance of travel. Once again, travel to Black Hawk and Central City will not be impacted.

This construction work will require crews to dig a hole in the ground that is deeper than the deep end of a swimming pool. Heavy equipment and machinery will be needed in order to complete the underpass. There will be no room to safely navigate the traveling public around the work, making it necessary to completely close the road.

All local emergency service providers have been notified of the closure, and signs will be posted to notify local motorists.

In case of inclement weather, backup dates for this work will be Sunday, March 29, at 8 p.m. through Saturday, April 4, at 5 p.m.

The images enclosed depict a map of the construction zone, and what the finished product will look like.

A rendering of the finished product.

A map showing the construction zone.

This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.

Description

This is a decent pitch with a bit of spice that climbs harder than it looks.

It has a couple cruxes, one near the ground and one high up (if you go to the Only the Strong anchors). Be prepared for a stiff start that actually may favor shorter folks. The middle section includes some more moderate but interesting terrain. Go right at the 3rd bolt. The 5.11 crux comes just before the 4th bolt. Stay right. If necessary, you can A1 the 1st & 4th bolts.

Per Mark Pell: the bolts were hand drilled from aid and free stances. Bolt two replaces a pin that disappeared from the horizontal crack in the shallow corner low on the route. The original line went up and left from bolt 3 to the obvious flake (clean pro there, long runner). Pass the flake on the right on moderate face (slightly run out?) and go up a shallow groove with more clean pro available from a small wire (HB offset or RP nut) and small Tricam. Above there, it eases and you start traversing right to the standing belay ledge with 2 bolt anchor in the roof block above, as for Only The Strong, etc. Done this way, Make It So is 9+/10- low on the route but a bit serious above bolt 3. The alternative is to move up and right from bolt 3 on thin but positive face to what has been called bolt 4 but is actually the crux bolt on Only The Strong, which joins from the right via the well-protected flake crack. Done this way you get a better line and another crux, probably 11-. Finish straight up to the bolt anchor at the ledge.

Location

Protection

4 bolts, small cams, an attentive belayer. Optional ~#3 Camalot before the 1st bolt. 2 bolt anchor if you go right to the Only the Strong anchors (which are hidden from view) or gear if you go left and finish with Make It Go.

The guidebook shows it going L at the third bolt. One could presumably place some gear behind the flake going that way. We TR'ed it from the anchors above to the R, which are visible from the ground, but not when one is traversing to these anchors from 2/3's up Body English, as Leo did. Going this way, up and R, is definitely solid 5.11. Moving past the 1st bolt is 10c or harder IMHO.

This is a route by me and Alvino Pon, done in 1994. Bolts were hand drilled from aid and free stances. Bolt two replaces a pin that disappeared from the horizontal crack in the shallow corner low on the route. The original line went up and left from bolt 3 to the obvious flake (clean pro there, long runner). Pass the flake on the right on moderate face (slightly run out?) and go up a shallow groove with more clean pro available from a small wire (HB offset or RP nut) and small Tricam. Above there, it eases and you start traversing right to the standing belay ledge with 2 bolt anchor in the roof block above, as for Only The Strong, etc. Done this way, Make It So is 9+/10- low on the route but a bit serious above bolt 3. The alternative is to move up and right from bolt 3 on thin but positive face to what has been called bolt 4 but is actually the crux bolt on Only The Strong, which joins from the right via the well-protected flake crack. Done this way you get a better line and another crux, probably 11-. Finish straight up to the bolt anchor at the ledge.